There’s a green cone just off the edge of the track at the BMW Performance Center, marking where my first of four timed laps will start. I’m behind the wheel of a 135is, the fastest version of a diminutive vehicle affectionately known by German car enthusiasts as the “Baby Beemer.” Mine is the first in a line of five identical models—all in a color BMW calls “Deep Sea Blue Metallic”—set to take on the
By Jodie Free, HubCity Writers Project I came to Spartanburg on a summer internship from my graduate school in Oxford, Mississippi, and during the three months that I lived there, RJ Rockers beer became a staple of my diet, and the brewery became one of my favorite places to be downtown. Founded in 1997 by head brewer and New Jersey native Mark Johnsen, RJ Rockers is a microbrewer with more than a dozen beers. Loca
By Jeremy L. C. Jones, HubCity Writers Project We usually go to Spartanburg’s Rail Tails dog park early in the morning or late in the afternoon, but the absolute best time is just after dinner when the sun has dipped but not set, the shade has lengthened, and the dogs of Spartanburg are ready to burn off their excess energy. One day recently my daughter Molly and I showed up just in time for what we call the
By Jeremy L. C. Jones, HubCity Writers Project We took a drive up North I-85—moving a lot more quickly than we would’ve been back in mid-January of 1781 if we’d been part of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan’s backcountry irregulars. Of course, Morgan’s men were untrained (but well-tested in battle). But as far as I know none of them were ten years old and named Molly. We were headed out to the Cowpens
I’ve heard Shane Pruitt jam at festivals, play gritty guitar blues in listening rooms, and get down and dirty at bars. He's a native son of Spartanburg, a city ConventionSouth magazine recently ranked among the South's top cities for music and meetings, alongside Nashville and New Orleans, Austin and Memphis. Shane’s the reigning heir to a Spartanburg tradition stretching back to master guitarists Hank Garland
By Jason Gilmer, HubCity Writers Project With 90 minutes until kickoff, fans are lined up at multiple gates waiting to storm in and reserve their spots on the concrete bleachers at Byrnes High School’s Nixon Field. Most wear royal blue t-shirts and ball caps and will get seats high on the bleachers so they can watch one of the nation’s top prep programs, right here in Spartanburg County. ESPN will broad
